Wealthy pensioners asked to donate winter fuel payments

atush

What a great idea. will they get a tax break ie for charity?

pineapple

We can all argue about better and fairer systems. But in the meantime the facts are us oldies get something called a winter fuel payment whether we need it or not. Look no one is twisting anyone's arm. I think it's a nice idea. We should extend it to other universal benefits imo.

proactive

wotsthat wrote: »

You made a glib statement about freezing pensioners as if that somehow gave you the moral high ground. The questions were to highlight that there might be good reason to indicate that the benefit is not properly targeted.

not a glib statement by any means, those are your words not mine and i have no control over how you chose to perceive a statement. a person asked what pensioners have done to deserve winter-fuel payments, i merely stated that what pensioners have 'done' is to freeze to death in their homes in numbers large enough that something was done to remedy the situation.

your deciding a statement is glib does automatically make it so i'm afraid, it is merely your own opinion as to the intent.

wotsthat wrote: »

I think it would be very cheap to stop paying the WFB to higher rate taxpayers.

and i think the cost of implementing that measure would essentially cancel out the savings.

there you go, different people, different opinions

J_i_m

I think the welfare system in genaral is fundamentally flawed. In principe it's a wonderful thing, yet it's too easily abused and sometimes money is given inappropriately.

I have my own ideas on an ideal system, though I'll stop short of stating them since I don't fancy a massive debate over the finer points.

Thing is though... If a person doesn't need the benefit that they are receiving then why on earth should it not go to someone who actually does? Many people have warped views on entitlement which too often results in someone else suffering for it.

McKneff

shortchanged wrote: »

I think you'll find it's called a bath.

You dont need to heat a bath if its full of coal.

Going4TheDream

Graham_Devon wrote: »

The tory government are not the ones asking.

True, at the moment that is....

I wonder whether this payment will be targeted in the future in the next parliament when they look towards giving all pensioners the new £140pw week pension

Jennifer_Jane

Going4TheDream wrote: »

True, at the moment that is....

I wonder whether this payment will be targeted in the future in the next parliament when they look towards giving all pensioners the new £140pw week pension

All NEW pensioners, I think. Existing pensioners would stay on their current system - unfortunately for me.

Going4TheDream

Jennifer_Jane wrote: »

All NEW pensioners, I think. Existing pensioners would stay on their current system - unfortunately for me.

Yes sorry NEW pensioners, but I still wonder if it would be cut for them, perhaps along the lines of the child benefit cuts if you receive the higher pension you don't receive the fuel allowance but if you receive the old style pension perhaps you would...

I cant help feeling that eventually it will be something that is looked at....

Governments (which ever flavour) don't get to give something for nothing..... or give with one hand and take something back with the other?

Jennifer_Jane

But don't forget that the wealthier pensioners (over £24,000) get penalised anyway. It's a long time since I dealt with any tax issues, so am prepared to be shot down in flames - but for ages now, people over 75 have had a tax penalty.

As Graham says: "All they have done is had a set amount of birthdays" and get an income over £24,000, and they get penalised.

MrRee_2

I pay tax and get some back in WFP, I cannot see the problem myself.

I may not need it, and I don't, but I give to charities anyway.

I have paid taxes for over 60 years, and still do - do you not think I am entitled to a little help to heat?

OK, I appreciate that an eyebrow may have been raised to think that it goes towards my swimming pool running costs - but, tough.